On Friday, May 24, the Seminole Ridge High School football team was one of four teams to compete in the Cardinal Newman High School spring jamboree. The Hawks shut out Archbishop McCarthy 26-0 and lost a close contest against the host Crusaders 14-13.
Against the Mavericks, Seminole Ridge drove down the field on their opening possession 80 yards for the first score of the game. Deion Mcminnis powered in from two yards out. The kick struck the upright, giving the Hawks a 6-0 lead.
The Hawks’ defense made it nearly impossible for the Mavericks to threaten a score during the contest. Seminole Ridge was able to add three more scores, with Cedric Johnson and Mcminnis contributing to the tally. The Hawks would go on to win big, 26-0.
The Hawks next faced host Cardinal Newman. The Crusaders fail to convert on fourth down inside their own red zone with an interception.
Three plays later, quarterback Shane Goolsby handed off to Mcminnis, who ran in for the short touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead for Seminole Ridge.
The Crusaders equalized with an 80-yard drive to tie the game at 7-7. Both teams battled through the rest of the first quarter without adding another score. A hawk fumble proved costly, which resulted in a Crusader touchdown to give them a 14-7 advantage in the second quarter.
Both teams traded blows in midfield through most of the second quarter. The Hawks threatened with the clock ticking. Mcminnis broke free on an 80-yard gain that landed Seminole Ridge in prime real estate to punch in the equalizer inside the Cardinal Newman five-yard line.
The Crusader defense forced a fourth-and-goal for the Hawks in the final minute. Goolsby hit running back Renald Leandre in the corner of the end zone to close the margin to 14-13. The Hawks elected to go for the win with a two-point conversion but fell just shy as the game ended.
“All in all, I was really proud of the way the kids played,” Seminole Ridge coach Rick Casko said. “This is a scrimmage, so I don’t think it’s totally indicative, but it helped us. There’s a lot to build on.”
